Porn.com sale misses net record

Sex.com remains web's most expensive domain

By Todd R. Weiss | 17 May 07

Domain name registrar and reseller Moniker.com has announced that Porn.com has been bought by Detroit-based MXN Ltd for $9.5m.

Monte Cahn, co-founder and CEO of Moniker.com, said in a statement that the $9.5 million price tag for Porn.com is the second largest ever paid for a domain name, coming in second to the $12 million paid for Sex.com in 2005 in a private sale. Cahn said the price for Porn.com is the largest ever for an all-cash transaction.

"The sale of Porn.com further reinforces the growing trend of businesses that place a high strategic value on generic domains related to their industry," Cahn said. "Porn.com will prove to be a valuable asset for MXN Ltd because of its significant number of daily visitors, established type-in traffic [and the fact it's] the top domain in the adult industry."

Porn.com was offered for sale at a live domain name auction in Las Vegas in March, but it never reached the reserve price after garnering bids in the $7 million range, according to Moniker.com. The sale was finally arranged this week after private discussions after that event.